Travel resolutions: Treat workers better (No. 10)

(Editor’s note: Just as we could all lose a little weight, spend less or give up smoking, there are things that we as travelers could be doing better. Here’s the first of our 10 Travel Resolutions for 2013. Everything on the list requires almost no effort, but will make you a better traveler. – Spud Hilton, editor)

There are certain jobs that are not for the faint of heart, not because they’re a disgusting task that Mike Rowe would take on in “Dirty Jobs,” but because people in those jobs deal almost exclusively with customers who are confused, angry, frustrated, in a rush or feeling cheated.

A lot of those jobs are in travel.

Next time you’re in line at the airport (or train station, bus depot, ship embarkation), consider the people around you — how many of them are going to have a special request, a seemingly serious problem, a flight leaving in 4 minutes, an advanced degree in indifference or just a generally bad attitude about “the help”? If you answered “Most of them,” you get a gold star.

But a friend and colleague, Johnny Jet of JohnnyJet.com — one of the most traveled people I know — treats everyone behind the ticket counter almost like family (in a good way). I’ve seen him chat up maids, janitors, cabin stewards, TSA agents and waiters, seemingly always genuinely interested in how their day is going and what they do.

You might say there are three reasons to emulate Johnny’s approach:1) More often than you would think, being the one guy who isn’t a hassle or a pain earns him upgrades or other considerations;2) Travel-related workers are an invaluable (but usually untapped) source of information. You can ask the concierge about the best local place to eat, but the security guy is more likely to have a good recommendation that didn’t involve a kickback;3) To be a better person and, by extension, a better traveler.

And remember: Just because they’re “doing their job” doesn’t mean you don’t have to say “Thank you.” Don’t be that guy.